EVENT PLANNING LAB

Presenters:

Amanda Kochirka, Gannon University Small Business Development Center Bob Wooler, The Nonprofit Partnership

What We Will Discuss…

 Event statistics  Event execution  Things to consider  Event follow-up and evaluation  Planning the event  Case studies  Marketing the event  Discussion and questions

Event Statistics

 90% of nonprofits rank events as being important or very important  Nonprofits host more events than B2B and B2C combined

Event Statistics

Event Statistics

Event Statistics

Thinking About the Details

 Trends come and go  Pay attention to what’s popular  Everything should coordinate  Keep it all simple  Keep it all unified with a theme

Thinking About the Details- Food and Beverages  Smaller portions, dinner in bites  Alcohol isn’t always necessary – try a signature “mocktail,” sparkling water, or punch for something different  Current trends to consider:     Thai and Indian flavor profiles Creative twists on classic favorites Gluten free- and vegan-friendly options Locally sourced ingredients   Quinoa, lentils, grains Food truck food without the truck

Thinking About the Details- Activities  Physical activities, but get creative  Virtual participation  Peer-to-peer fundraising

Thinking About the Details Entertainment/Speakers  National Groups  National Speakers Bureau  Executive Speakers Bureau  Local affiliations  NPR, NPM, PBS  Experts right here at home  Local bands, acoustic musicians, acrobats, jugglers, caricature artists, comedians

Event Pre-Planning

 Who is your audience?

 Does your event align with what they respond to?

 What will make your event different?

Setting Goals for Your Event

 Discuss the difference between a goal and a tactic  Collaborate  Agree on how to measure success  Keep the goals alive

Setting Goals for Your Event

 Goals to consider:  Attendance  Money raised  Publicity  Awareness  Motivation  Collaboration  Is it something else entirely?

Finding/Booking a Venue  Things to consider:  Budget and theme  Does the site provide catering?

 Does the site provide what you’ll need- tables, chairs, stage, projector, microphone, podium, etc.?

 Will the site provide tech support in case something goes wrong?

 How much support staff will be on-site the day of the event to handle emergencies?

Finding/Booking a Venue          Local Venues to Consider  Asbury Woods (inside or outside)   TREC (Tom Ridge Environmental Center) Warner Theater    Erie Art Museum Arboretum at Frontier Park Local college or university Basement Transmissions Watson Curtze Mansion, Battles House Erie Maritime Museum BLOOM Collaborative The Pilot House Library, Intermodal Center Erie Zoo WQLN

Creating Event Agendas That Work  Don’t pack the schedule  Don’t hold complex thought sessions right after a meal  Create participation, movement  Let the attendees relax during meals

Online Registration Management Options  Some service providers to consider:  Ennect Event  Eventbrite  WordPress Event Registration Plugin  Eventbee  Constant Contact Event Marketing

Ennect Event

 What you get  Easy to create website, no HTML knowledge needed  Customizable URL  Free to create and send email invites  Send automatic email with confirmation, receipt  Create member/non-member pricing  Free support

Ennect Event

 Pricing  Pay-As-You-Go- $400/event, no per-registrant fee ○ For occasional events  Event Series- as low as $200/event, no per registrant fee ○ For those who run multiple events.  Call for nonprofit discount

Eventbrite

 What you get  Tools for publishing an event Web page  Tools for event promotion- i.e., email invitations  Custom survey tool to collect additional info

Eventbrite

 Pricing  Free for events that are free  Fee for events with a charge: ○ 2.5% + $0.99 per ticket (they guarantee they will never charge more than $9.95 per ticket) ○ Payment processing charge options- check them out online

Eventbee  What you get  Create single or multiple ticket types  Set up dynamic registration form  Customize form and confirmation email  Link to publicize event cross platform  Social media sharing, Facebook fan page ticketing  Sales and attendee data available  Mobile app for event check in

Eventbee  Pricing  Basic membership is $1 service fee per ticket  Pro membership - $1.50 service fee per ticket  Advanced membership - $2 service fee per ticket  Credit card processing fees are additional  Features increase as package price increases

Constant Contact Event Marketing EventSpot  What you get  Create customizable invitations and landing page  Process payments, issue tickets  Track registrations, payments  Ticket templates  Pricing  0-1 event - $20/mo.

 2-5 events - $25/mo.

 6-10 events - $45/mo.

 Up to 41+ events - $150/mo.

 Nonprofit discounts 10%-30% depending on level

Sponsorship

 Consider the event sponsors don’t forget relevant  Set sponsorship levels- benefits should be clear  Get on the phone, send packets (keep the packets simple)  Follow up

Sponsorship

 Cultivate the relationship with sponsors  Cultivate the relationship with non-sponsors  Give them plenty of publicity  Follow up after the event

Recruiting Volunteers

 Recruit more than you think you need  Colleges and high schools  Businesses  Clubs and associations  Solicit through your website/social media  Newsletters  Current volunteers  Friends and family  Board members

Marketing the Event Using Social Media  Tips for event marketing using social media  Integrated approach  Link from the event website  Organic approach to building followers  Show and tell  Team effort  Start early  Creative

Marketing the Event Using Social Media  How to use social media to market your event  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Blog  Other event marketing tools

Marketing the Event Using Social Media

Marketing the Event Using Twitter  Hashtags  #npday  Give the event its own Twitter account  “Please RT!”

Marketing the Event Using Facebook  Page then event  If it’s a large event, it can have its own Facebook Page  With recurring events, you can build a following over time

Marketing the Event Using Facebook  Use the features Facebook provides  Take out Facebook ads and target them to your desired audience  Events tab on all pages  Ask people to share  Two excellent resources ○ The Nonprofit Facebook Guy ○ Non-Profits on Facebook

Marketing the Event Using Instagram  Give attendees a visual and location for your event  Use the event hashtag, make your own - #booth701  Tag speakers, vendors, sponsors

Marketing the Event Using a Blog  You can use an existing blog or start a new one, but leave time to build a following  Create posts announcing the event, call for presenters, volunteers, and sponsorship opportunities  Follow up with guest posts from presenters who should welcome the opportunity to reach a wider audience

Marketing During the Event Using Social Media  Marketing during the event (for events that are longer than a couple of hours)  Hashtags for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram  Live streaming  Vine  Post consistently

Using Hashtags During the Event  Make sure everyone knows the hashtag  Put it everywhere  Use the hashtag for monitoring

Using Video During the Event

 Quick interviews and speakers with attendees  Live streaming – get speakers’ permission first!

 Use YouTube, Vimeo to post longer format videos  Vine for short format videos- six second, looping  Editing software comes with some cameras, otherwise see what’s available on your computer

Marketing the Event Using Email

Marketing the Event Using Mobile

Marketing the Event Using Traditional Media  Use free online media – community calendars  Send meaningful releases  Personalize your release  Know who you’re sending to

Coordinating Communication for Event Day  Who is responsible for what?

 Have contact information for site manager, maintenance/physical plant, caterer, etc.

 How is the team communicating?

What Event Follow Up Method is Best?

 Consider your audience  Combinations can work  Where do they go from there?

Marketing After the Event

 Reflective blog post  Talk about what you learned, ask for comments  Post something similar on Facebook  Thank you on website  Email blast  Send a link to a highlight video

Marketing After the Event

 Photo tagging  Encourage attendees to tag themselves in photos so they are shared with their connections  Slideshare  Ask presenters for permission to post slides on Slideshare- use appropriate tags, titles and links

Wrap-Up Meeting After the Event  cri·tique [kri-teek]noun 1. an article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review  crit·i·cism [krit-uh-siz-uhm]noun 1. the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything

Keeping Organized From Year to Year (For Annual Events)  Create a folder on your computer or a binder  Use a form like the event wrap-up guide handout  Collect the results of the follow up

Case Study- Desert Bus for Hope

 Money goes to Child’s Play – provides toys and games to kids in hospitals nationwide  Video game Desert Bus – kind of like Oregon Trail  Improv comedy troupe LoadingReadyRun rediscovered the game in 2007 and decided to use the game to raise money for charity

Case Study- Desert Bus for Hope

 Never. Stop. Driving.

 2013 event raised almost $525k  Moral: keep your activity aligned with your cause

Case Study – Flatwater Foundation  Mark Garza’s father diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer  Mark decided to host a paddle boarding event to raise awareness of mental health of those dealing with cancer diagnosis  “Dam That Cancer” event

Case Study – Flatwater Foundation  Paddlers travel from dam to dam in Lake Austin (TX) – 21 miles  First event raised $35k, wasn’t even a goal to raise money, just awareness  This year was 5 th event and raised $250k

Case Study – Flatwater Foundation  Event capped at 75 people for safety  Paddlers dedicate to raising $2k through peer-to-peer fundraising  It’s an honor to be selected to paddle

Case Study – Free Wheel Foundation’s RIDE 430 Challenge  Four day, 430-mile journey to support injured military service personnel and their families  Every participant asked to fundraise, average rider raised $6,600 by end of campaign.  Event’s initial goal was $350k, ended up raising more than $440k.

Case Study – Free Wheel Foundation’s RIDE 430 Challenge  Bridge the gap between your event and the people you serve  Create options for those who can’t participate in the traditional sense  Video

A Few Helpful Resources

 Free E-Books about event planning- Event Manager Blog http://www.eventmanagerblog.com

 Event psychology specialist- Andrea Sullivan http://www.brainstrength.net

 Event checklist – www.wildapricot.com

 Classy Blog – www.classy.org